HOW THE FANTASY GENRE
READERS HAVE CHANGED AND CREATING STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS
(BY BRIAN D. ANDERSON)
When I was young, I was
enthralled by Tolkien, mystified by Asimov, and captivated by Jordan. But back
then, the fan base of that particular genre was male dominated. You could
peruse the sci-fi/fantasy section of your local bookstore, and scarcely bump into
a member of the opposite sex; which was too bad really, considering I was at
the age when the opposite sex was all I could think about. Today, things
are much different.
When I looked at my own
fan base recently, I noticed that well over half were female, and many were
avid fantasy readers. At first I didn't give it much thought. Then I received a
comment regarding the female characters in my book, and I began ponder it a bit
more. A young lady who stumbled upon my work online wrote me that she loved how
strong the women in my book were, and that it made her want to read more
fantasy. As pleased as this made me, it was not something I had done
intentionally. Though I have never been a fan of the “damsel in distress”, and
have always felt it detracted from an overall storyline, it is not the reason I
wrote Kaylia, Dina, Maybell, or even Salmitaya, the way I did. The truth is;
weak characters, male or female, are not very interesting to me, and unless
needed as part of the story, are not worth writing about. Though The Godling
Chronicles is a fantasy series, it is not driven by the fantasy aspect. It is
driven by the characters.
Kaylia, an elf, is deadly yet sensitive. Her enigmatic
past and strong convictions have caused her to become an outcast. As her
exposure to human’s increases, she is forced to re-evaluate everything she once
held as true.
Dina, (I can't reveal too much about her. It would
ruin the story for you), though not a warrior, is resourceful and courageous.
Her dedication and determination makes her a force to be reckoned with.
Maybell, though at first thought to be soft and weak,
shows that her heart is true and her wisdom vast. She is capable in ways that
make her an invaluable asset.
Salmitaya...well you're just going to have to find out
about her yourself.
That more fantasy
writers are cluing in to the fact that weak female characters are neither
appealing or interesting, has made fantasy more accessible to women, thereby
creating an entirely new generation of fantasy lover. I am happy to have
contributed to this, and am thrilled that my work appeals to such a broad
audience. I intend to keep working hard to make the series exciting, and I'm
looking forward to sharing this world of Gods, humans, elves, and other
fantastical creatures, with readers of all ages and genders.
AUTHOR BIO
Brian
D. Anderson was born in 1971, and grew up in the small town of Spanish Fort, A.
He attended Fairhope High, then later Springhill College where his love for
fantasy grew into a lifelong obsession. His hobbies include chess, history, and
spending time with his son.
Jonathan
Anderson was born in March of 2003. His creative spirit became evident by the
age of three when he told his first original story. In 2010 he came up with the
concept for The Godling Chronicles that grew into an exciting collaboration
between father and son. Jonathan enjoys sports, chess, music, games, and of
course, telling stories.
THE
GODLING CHRONICLES (BOOK ONE): THE SWORD OF TRUTH
It
has been five hundred years since the Great War between Elf and Human ripped
the world apart, and the Dark Knight of Angrääl has stolen the Sword of Truth.
With it, he has trapped the Gods in heaven. If left unchallenged he will kill
the Gods and reshape the world into an unimaginable hell. The only hope for all
of creation is a boy named Gewey Stedding, the only being born from the union
of two Gods. Aided by Lee Starfinder, the son of Saraf, God of the Sea, and a
mortal woman, he must discover the true nature of his power. However, this will
not be easy. He is bound to the earth a mortal man, and in many ways is very
human. When Kaylia, a young elf woman, joins their party, Gewey discovers that
perils of the heart can be as treacherous as any sword. Gewey, Lee, Kaylia and
other friends they meet on their journey, must battle the Dark Knight, find a
way to heal the hatred between elf and man, and restore heaven itself.
THE GODLING CHRONICLES (BOOK ONE) is available on Amazon Kindle for $3.99 (FREE to Prime users). Get it here: http://goo.gl/1M5sX
BRIAN D. ANDERSON’S LINKS:
Brian’s
Twitter: @GodlingChron
Thanks for having me on.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you! We are on the same page with our characters. My series, The Empyrical Tales, features strong female leads and supporting characters too.
DeleteThat's a very interesting post - I must admit I hadn't thought before about the changes in fantasy over the years but you're right, there are a lot of strong female characters appearing across the whole genre. There's a great mix in the Godling Chronicles though, not just of male/female but a whole cross section of humans, elves, Gods, etc. which adds to the richness of the stories.
ReplyDelete